Adelaide-based artist Emma Hack, 39, creates incredible works of art where she paints male and female models and makes them blend into complex background images.
If you’re one of the 300 million people who watched Gotye’s video for the international hit “Somebody That I Used to Know“, then you’re probably already a fan of Emma Hack, and just didn’t know it yet. She’s the mastermind behind the unique music video where Gotye and Kimbra gradually transform into painted works of art that morph into the background until they become entirely camouflaged. Emma worked with the artists for 23 very long hours, but the public reactions to their work made the efforts worth it for all parties involved. Although she’s been a camouflage artist for 22 years, Emma says she feels her career has just now started taking off and she’s finally being taken seriously as an artist.
Emma Hack started her career as a make-up artist, but drawing inspiration from the works of Veruschka, a famous model who during the 60s and 70s painted herself against naturalistic settings, she started exploring the art of camouflage. After decades of experience, Hack’s works have become so good that it’s often hard to spot where the model is “hiding” in the background. Her first ever camouflage artwork took 19 hours to complete, with more recent works taking anywhere between 8 and 15 hours, depending on the complexity of the project. As you can expect, the long hours and painstaking work take their toll on both the artist and her models, but the spectacular results are reward enough for both of them.
So move over Liu Bolin, the so-called Invisible Man, there’s a new camouflage master in town, and she means business.
Sources: Design You Trust, Artinfo
